Trust Issues
by UnlikelyOptimist
Summary: Gabriel's back, and he wants to earn Sam's trust; Sam wants to trust him, but is having trouble forgetting Gabriel's weakness for mischief. Contains...implied sex, I guess. Sam/Gabriel


(Sabriel) Trust issues; Oneshot

Saw this prompt on my dash last night and couldn't help writing it. Annnnd now I'm just sad. Inspiration comes from whoever posted with this idea and wanted a fic of it; I don't remember.

Summary: Gabriel wants to make things right with Sam, but Sam's having trouble believing that he isn't just getting played…again

When Gabriel had appeared in front of a shell shocked Sam, he'd had tried to punch him in the face and broken his own hand in the process. It probably hadn't helped the situation any that he'd laughed, but it was his natural defense mechanism. And, well, it'd been pretty damn funny. Gabriel thought that had Dean not still been trapped in Purgatory, Sam would have just walked away. And guiltily, that made him a little glad; after all, Dean would probably survive. And if not, he'd be sure to take care of Sam for him.

"Calm down, Sam; I come in peace."

"Like hell you do."

"Ok, well then look at it this way; I'm running on low batteries, so if I try anything, gank me. In the meantime, it looks like you need a partner, kiddo; unless, of course, saving the world solo was your plan all along." Sam glared mistrustfully before shaking the outstretched hand.

At first, it had been bumpy and awkward and they rubbed each other in all the wrong ways; to Sam, Gabriel was everything that had irritated him about Dean without any of the redeeming qualities. His humor, once at least mildly amusing, was now little more than an irritation. And Gabriel was so eager to please, but so woefully unequipped for dealing with Sam's baggage; some days he held it up, and others it weighed on him until he retaliated with the most humiliating prank he could think of and zapped himself to the nearest whorehouse. Sam hated being mean, but couldn't bring himself to be kind to while simultaneously sleeping with a blade under his pillow.

Things started looking up the first time Gabriel actually saved Sam from some miserable, bloodsucking vamp that nearly snuck up on him; Gabriel had ripped her head from her shoulders in desperation to keep those greedy, needy teeth off of the unsuspecting nape of Sam's neck.

Sam coughed, and Gabriel raised an eyebrow curiously. "Um..thanks," he muttered.

"Any time, Samsquatch." For once, Sam gave a small smile in return before scuttling back to the car.

Sam sat up for awhile that night while Gabriel slept, one of the newer habits he'd picked up since leaving Purgatory. He shot furtive, unwilling glances as he touched the nape of his neck and wondered why it was still tingling. Biting his lip and looking away to keep from smiling, he caught a glance of himself in the mirror and froze in horror. This was exactly what he'd been afraid of; Gabriel was probably smirking into his pillow, thinking he'd really pulled one over on him this time. Cursing himself for something undefined but getting dangerously clearer, Sam rolled over and willed himself to fall asleep.

The next morning began with Gabriel's usual, nauseatingly peppy greeting being received with a furious stare.

"It's already 10 o'clock; get the hell up already." Gabriel, still in bed, ran a hand through his tousled hair, confused.

"Jeez, Sammy, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"Don't call me Sammy. And piss off."

"Wow; that's some quality gratitude right there…" Sam turned white, chewing on dozens of wounded remarks about how he'd known Gabriel would say that; always had to have the upper hand, come out the winner, before turning on his heel and storming out of the hotel room. Gabriel slumped back into bead with his hand over his eyes while Sam stared at the car roof and told himself his eyes weren't stinging.

The silence oozed its nauseating way into week after week, until they encountered a pair of angels while cleaning out a demon den. Outwardly friendly, they made short, snide little remarks and gave twisted, arrogant smiles that had Gabriel subdued, barely looking up as they addressed him; when he did glance at them, he looked gave them quick, shameful looks before glancing away;

"Gabriel…or Trickster, did you preferred to be called?"

"We're honored that you've joined us; we know you tend to…avoid conflict."

"Michael's orders were…oh, our apologies. We forgot you don't care much for your brothers or their orders anymore…"

"Shut the hell up, you arrogant dick!" Gabriel looked up in shock as Sam was suddenly pinning one to a wall. Gabriel had just enough time to pull him off before the angel threw out a hand furiously, bringing down that whole section of the wall behind which Sam had just been standing. Gabriel, cockiness and swagger restored, snapped and he and Sam were in the car; they watched from the distance as the whole building came down around two aggrieved angels. He set it on fire for good measure, then glancing at Sam; they just looked at each other and then laughed, laughed until their sides hurt and if Gabriel's eyes had leaked just a little, they attributed it to the laughing.

"Mrlyrlysoree"

Gabriel thought in a panic he might have scrambled Sam's head in the transit, and Gabriel grabbed his face and started checking his pupils for dilation while asking frantic questions at rapid fire speed. Sam expelled his breath impatiently, leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth, and just about when Gabriel was thinking in resignation that he'd totally lost him, he drew back.

"I said that I'm so, so sorry." he whispered in Gabriel's ear, and this time it was Sam who's eyes were leaking as he put his hand to them in shock. Gabriel reached out and swiped one thumb under his eye and smiled as gently as he knew how, and leaned in and kissed him one more time before Sam dropped his eyes, cheeks red, and told him they should get back to the motel.

A few days later, after a lot of not entirely necessary bumping into each other while reaching for things and cleared throats and making eye contact while sentences trailed off vaguely, lost in lieu of more pressing issues, Gabriel couldn't stand it any more. After a lot of careful, calculated deliberation, he asked Sam if he would go on a date with Gabriel; resisting every urge to throw in his flippant remark, taking down every defense.

Sam let his jaw hang slack in surprise for a split second:

"With me?" Of course, after he'd said it, he backpedaled furiously, but Gabriel had locked on to his glimpse of hope and wasn't letting go of it now.

"Sammy, please? It'll be fun. No pressure, just a casual night out."

"I hate eating out; restaurants and candlelight? What are we, 18 and out for prom?"

"Who said candlelight? There's a neat little diner near here, serves a mean Caesar salad, and then we can just hang out around town. Alternatively, I could zap us to the Himalayas, but…"

"No, definitely not. And you don't even like salad."

"Please, you think I ate candy since the dawn of civilization? Even my dentist isn't that good." Sam smiled a little before biting his lip and turning away a little; boundaries. They were blurring…again.

"Gabriel, come on, I was just emotionally charged; I wasn't being serious…when I…" he faltered. Gabriel moved closer and gently put a hand on his arm.

"Really? That'd be a real shame…because I was," he whispered, all defenses down. No more pithy remarks and pathetic shells; this was Sam. And if he'd been honest with Sam in the first place, then maybe he wouldn't be standing here now, having to beg for trust instead of earning it.

"…No candles, and no roses." Resisting the urge to hug him so hard his ribs would crack, (maybe even literally), Gabriel's face split into a huge, genuine smile.

"You bet on it."

That night came, and Gabriel sat nervously at the diner booth. He'd resisted the urge to flood the place with flowers and candy hearts; instead, slipped inside his pocket, he had a USB drive with a tiny halo hanging off a painted lolipop on the smooth surface. On it, Gabriel had recreated every picture from every family album that Sam had never seen, imprints and memories lifted from the ash of Sam's family home, and then a few from Jess' demolished camera of the two of gift felt inadequate and not much compared to his gifts to Kali (a temple being one of the smallest,) but he was hoping the thought counted.

He knew Sam was lonely, and, knowing he was hardly worthy of filling that gap, thought that maybe he could provide Sam with some fond memories.

Gabriel ran his fingers nervously through his hair, trying not to feel like an awkward middle schooler who had asked his lifetime crush out on a date. He shifted uneasily; it was only 5 minutes past, but Sam wasn't one for being late. But he wouldn't; Sam could be petty, but never cruel…his phone buzzed, and he flipped it open with such force that it nearly shattered.

"I'm so sorry." He stared blankly at the little letters, letting them bounce through his head, bruising his very brain, before he disappeared with a whoosh that shattered the windows.

The next morning, reports of a volcano erupting after years of dormancy; the whole town had been forced to evacuate. And unbeknownst to anyone but an archangel who was currently making bite marks and bruises on a goddess, a little twisted lump of metal and plastic was burning to ashes, charring a little painted halo as it was consumed by lava.


End file.
